The recession is hitting single mothers especially hard. They are the most likely group to be unemployed and uninsured in the United States. These families are more often than not living below what most people consider poverty level. Forced to take out costly cash loans against their next paycheck is commonplace just to feed the kids and pay rent. many are trying to juggle jobs and daycare providers who are inflexible and unconcerned with helping the single mother or her children improve their lives.

These stresses can become inconceivably difficult, especially if the child or children become ill. A single mother is left with no option but to miss work on behalf of her child. When employers begin looking for someone to lay off due to the economic downturn, single moms are often the first to go because they are seen as unreliable and less efficient. Recent increases in layoffs are contributing to this reality to an even greater extent.

Government programs designed to help unwed mothers often leave working women out because they make “too much” money to qualify for assistance, but unfortunately they do not make enough to cover health care costs, rent or child care. The sad truth is that the younger and less responsible mothers who choose not to work and simply live off government assistance can make out better than those who try to make a valuable contribution to the workforce by contributing their skills and education.

Educated single moms or those with specialized skills who actually want to work and give their children a good role model are riveted by uncontrollable environmental factors such as struggling economic times, unemployment, difficulty finding reliable and affordable day care, and the gap between what women and men are paid. All of these factors put households headed by hard working females with children at the highest economic disadvantage.